Oholos 15:10 - 16:1

המאהיל על המת ונוגע בכלים – the vessels are impure for a period of seven days because of attachments, as for example, that at the time that he touched the corpse or overshadowed it, a person who touches likewise with vessels.

ואם יש בידיו פותח טפח טמאים – since his hands overshadow over the corpse and over the vessels, they bring the defilement in.

שני בתים – and their openings correspond with one another.

מביא את הטומאה – and they remained as two impure houses. For a tent of his hands combines the defilement as if two halves ae placed in this one (i.e., hand) and that one (i.e., hand).

ואם לאו – that there isn’t an opening of a handbreadth in his hands. A person, however, is impure, as it is taught in the Mishnah further on [Chapter 16, Mishnah 1] and on themselves with whatever amount, but the two houses are ritually pure.

כל המיטלטלין מביאין את הטומאה – because of the tent. For if it overshadows its one head over the corpse and other head over the vessels, it brings the defilement.

כעובי המרדע (as thick as an ox-goad) – even if it lacks the width of a handbreadth but rather that it has in its circumference a handbreadth. For a thread of a handbreadth surrounds it, for they (i.e., the Rabbis) decreed on its circumference because of is thickness.

אקפח את בני (May I bury my children -an oath frequently used by Rabbi Tarfon) – I will bury them. [The word] קיפוח/deprivation – is the language of mutilation/excision or cutting. And it is an oath, “may I bury my children if this thing is not true” that this Halakha is forced/prevented, defected/lopped and cut piece-meal. For we require an opening of a handbreadth.

ששמע השומע – when the question was asked through an actual event/incident in the Bet Midrash/academy and he heard that they defiled and he did not know for what reason they defied it. They defiled the ox-goad because of the utensils that overshadow over the corpse, that the vessel itself that overshadows the corpse is impure regardless of the amount, for we don’t require an opening of a handbreadth other than to bring the defilement under its second head, and they defiled the farmer either because of either for the reason of connections or because he had vessels that touched the corpse and a person [who came in contact] with vessels and is impure for a period of seven days. But the listener erred to state that they defiled him for the reason that the ox-goad brings upon him defilement from the law of the tent.

שיהו דברי חכמים מקויימים (that the words of the Sages may endure) – that they say that the ox-goad brings the defilement.

על האדם הנושאן – there are times when a person who carries them does not have upon him anything other than defilement for one night, for his clothing interrupts between his shoulder and the ox-goat and it is for him “that he will offer with that he will offer to that he will offer,” (see Leviticus 21:17, 18 and 22:3) that a person who sees that they defile him a defilement of an evening will err to state that it is because of the tent that they defiled him, because it has a circumference of a handbreadth, and it comes to inform us that the defilement of a tent has naught other than the defilement of an evening. Therefore, they (i.e., the Sages) decreed upon him “like the thickness of an ox-goad” to defile for a period of seven days according to their words (i.e., of the Rabbis) because of the tent.

ועל עצמן בכל שהוא – for a vessel that overshadows over a corpse is impure, even of any amount.

ועל שאר אדם וכלים – that is underneath the ox-goad.

בפותח טפח – because they don’t defilement at all, it doesn’t belong to defile on its circumference because of its thickness.